The Race
by johnnypianoman
Summary: This is a story of how Will and Sonny meet at a running event. It is non canon with the current events of Days of Our Lives (i.e. no Gabi, no baby, etc). It is my very first fic so I hope you like it. I have no experience with writing whatsoever. Ha ha. Thank you for reading. I really appreciate it. -Johnny
1. Chapter 1

The Race - Chapter 1

**June 1, 2013**

Will Horton looked at the alarm clock on his nightstand and noticed it read 5:07am.

"_Shit",_ he exclaimed as he bolted out of bed, nearly stubbing his toe on the edge of the bed.

He was gonna be late for the bus that shuttled him to the starting line of the race. The bus took off from downtown at exactly 5:30am. He quickly brushed his teeth and grabbed some running clothes then headed out the door.

Thankfully, there wasn't a single soul out on the road this early Saturday morning. The way he drives, he had no trouble exceeding the speed limit to make up some of the time he used sleeping. He looked down at the speedometer. 60mph may be a tad fast on a 35mph street, but he couldn't miss the bus. He'd trained for weeks for this race and he'd be damned if he was going to miss it.

He pulled into the parking ramp where he worked downtown. A few cars were scattered around, but otherwise the ramp was deserted.

**Will's POV**

"_Hey...you ready for this?"_, Michelle said. Michelle is my best friend and we also work together.

"_I am so ready for this, Michelle." _I said.

"Good...because I'm gonna run your ass off today" she stated. I laugh because I know she's right. She can kick my ass if she wants to. She's the epitome of fit. Although we have planned to run together the whole time. I know we'll have a good time together. We always do.

"_Run my ass OFF? Please don't. I rather like my ass."_ I say. She laughs at my statement.

Our company was nice enough to open the wellness center for the runners on a Saturday morning. The company is usually closed on weekends.

When Michelle and I got upstairs to the wellness center, a few of our other work friends were already there.

"_Hey Shelley, hey Dave"_ I said. Shelley was bitching and moaning as usual because she had to get up so early and Dave was just smiling and shaking his head at Shelley's antics.

We all put our personal belongings that we didn't want to take with us in our lockers. Just as we were getting ready to leave for the bus, our friend Jill walked in dressed head to toe in winter-weather running gear.

"_What the fuck are you wearing, Jill? You know it's 60 degrees outside, right?"_ I say as everybody starts laughing.

"_Ha ha...very funny, Will." _said Jill._ "I was cold, so stop giving me shit. I brought some other clothes too." _ Jill said.

"_Fair enough, Jill. It's just that you're the one who starts wearing tank tops when it turns 40 degrees. I'm the one who needs a parka most times." _ I said.

After Jill got done putting her things away, we made our way to catch the shuttle bus. On the way, several of us were chatting about how our week at work went. Most of us didn't have the best week, so this race would be a chance to unwind and have fun.

The shuttle pick-up was only a few blocks away so the walk was a fairly short one. Once we got there, it literally looked like an entire city school district was lending out their buses for the day. As it turns out, that was the case.

Amidst the plethora of people and school buses, our group made our way to one of the boarding lines.

"So how are you today, Will?" Michelle asked.

"_I'm doing alright. I didn't sleep the best. And I woke up late. Probably nervous about today."_ I say back to her.

"_What about that guy you were talking to me about earlier in the week?"_ she asked.

"_Oh AJ?"_ I say. _"He never responded to my messages."_

"_What a total asshole! You know he doesn't deserve you."_ Michelle says.

"_Yeah, but I really thought he was into me. I mean I was into him. He has the most gorgeous hair."_ I say.

Michelle looks at me with a genuine smile on her face and says, _"Will, sometime you will find the most perfect guy for you. I promise."_

I smile at her statement. I want to believe her. She's my best friend. But after AJ not responding to my messages, I feel rejected. However, she's my friend and I trust her.

"_Thanks, Michelle. I really appreciate that."_ I say.

Michelle and I talk back and forth for awhile about her life. She has two little boys who are the cutest things. They look exactly like her.

I was so engaged in our conversation that I didn't notice that we'd boarded the buses and we were nearly at the starting line.

"_Oh my god, we're almost here."_ I say to Michelle.

"_Where the hell have you been?"_ she laughs.

"_Sorry...I guess I was just so caught up in our conversation."_ I say.

That was a partial truth. I really was completely caught up in our conversation, but I was still thinking about AJ. I really like him. And he totally hurt me when he ignored me.

"_Fuck him!"_ I think to myself. _"Michelle's right. He doesn't deserve me. So what if he has the most gorgeous hair I've ever seen? And the most perfect body."_

AJ works at the company too so I see him working out on a regular basis. I've even caught a glimpse of him naked in the shower.

"_OK Will...get your head together. If you keep thinking of AJ, you'll never be able to run single mile."_ I think.

At the starting line, there were a TON of porta-potties. Well...people have to use the bathroom before a race. I already needed to. I had drank an entire bottle of water on the way.

"_Hey! Wait for me!"_ Shelley yelled to Michelle and I. Shelley ran to catch up to the two of us.

"_I've got to pee like a fucking race horse." _Shelley exclaimed.

I laugh and respond back to her.

"_Race horse, huh? That will be quite the sight."_ I say.

Shelley responds back with her usual sarcastic self.

"_Ha ha ha. You're so funny, Will. What will AJ do with you?"_ she says.

I frown and look down. Shelley notices.

"_Oh I'm sorry, Will. Did I say something wrong?"_ Shelley says to me.

"_No it's ok, Shelley. It's just that AJ didn't respond to the messages I sent him."_ I say quietly.

"_That god damn son of a bitch!"_ Shelley says with genuine anger. I smile a little inside at her statement. I can always count on her and Michelle to have my back.

"_I know right! I was so excited to go out with him. I thought we hit it off the other day at lunch. Apparently he didn't feel the same about me."_ I say.

This time I'm not so somber and I'm starting to believe what Michelle told me earlier. A wave of contentment comes over me and I smile.

"_You know, Shelley...it really is ok. He doesn't deserve me. I'm going to meet the most perfect guy for me."_ I say as I look at Michelle and give her a wink. She winks back at me.

"_Good. You need to get laid soon anyway. You can be grouchy in the mornings."_ Shelley says.

We all erupt in laughter as we continue our way to the bathrooms. Shelley really does look like she's gonna pee herself.

After waiting in yet another line at the bathrooms, we all make our way towards the starting line. All the training we've done together has led up to this moment. I'm so pumped. Michelle really gave me something to look forward to. She's my best friend and I couldn't imagine my life without her.

After fighting through the massive amount of people while trying to get to our pace time group, we finally settle on a spot behind the starting line. Finally. Jeez, it seemed like it took forever to get up here.

I look around and see some interesting people. I never realized before that some runners are just plain weird. I see some without shoes. I mean, who the hell runs a half marathon without shoes? I see one guy with nothing but a loin cloth on. Really? I think to myself. I mean I wouldn't mind seeing AJ in that, but...I cut my thoughts off. I can't keep thinking about him like this right now.

After the national anthem plays, I know it's only a few seconds from the start of the race.

"_On your mark, get set...GO!"_ the announcer says just as a loud gun blast goes off.

I have a good feeling that this race is going to be a good one...

**to be continued**


	2. Chapter 2

THE RACE - CHAPTER 2

**Will's POV**

It was exactly 7am. As the gun went off, a wave of exhilaration came over my body. This was it. Michelle looked over at me and winked. I was more than prepared to give my very best. Unfortunately, when there are thousands of people starting a race at once, you can't just bolt out of the gate.

After about 30 seconds, Michelle and I finally crossed the start line.

"_Hey...wait for us"_, Michelle yelled at Shelley, who was a good 30 feet ahead of us. Shelley was always one to start out at a speed that was really too fast. She just gets excited. But I've learned that starting too fast only exhausts you that much earlier.

"_What the shit, guys?"_ I hear coming from behind me. I look over my shoulder to see Jill running to catch up.

"_Why did you guys leave without me?"_ she said.

"_Well, we didn't do it on purpose you know."_ I say as I laugh.

Within a few seconds, we all caught up with one another and were on our way. Only thirteen more miles to go. As we rounded the first turn, the sun shone through the trees and onto our faces. It was a beautiful Saturday morning. It reminded me of those mornings that I would ride my bike early in the morning as a young boy.

The race crowd was unusually quiet. All that could be heard was the sound of shoes hitting and pavement and rhythmic breathing.

Suddenly, I was passed by another runner who looked quite familiar. I increased my speed a little bit to get a better look. That's when I noticed the hair. It was unmistakeable.

"_AJ"_, I thought to myself. _"Dammit. Just when I thought today was going to be a great day"_.

I decided that I wanted answers. AJ was not going to just blow me off like I mean nothing.

I signaled to Michelle and Jill that I was going to run ahead a little bit. After nodding their heads that they understood, I began to run even faster to catch up to him.

"_Hey AJ"_, I said with a slightly irritated tone of voice.

"_Oh hey Will, what's up?"_, he said. The look he gives me is one of complete arrogance and superiority. If there's one thing I cannot stand, it's arrogance. Now I'm fully irritated.

"_What the fuck, man?"_ I say softly enough not to attract too much attention, yet firm enough to get my point across. _"I thought we were going to go out. You never returned any of my messages."_

AJ actually seems taken aback with my words. I don't think he realized that I have become more assertive than when we first met.

"_Well, I thought I wanted to go out with you, but I don't want to anymore."_ he said. Those words that I fully expected to hurt me only pissed me off even further.

I yell back at him. _"You are a fucking douchebag, do you know that?"_ By now, I don't give a shit who is noticing the scene I'm beginning to cause. The hair on my arms and legs is standing straight up and I can feel my pulse start to race.

"_Will, let me be honest with you. I was only into you because I thought you'd be an easy lay."_ I'm sure by this time my mouth was hanging wide open in unbelief. He didn't stop there.

"_You have a really hot body, Will. Believe me, I would like nothing more than to have my way with you. But that's all it is. You obviously want an emotional attachment. I don't need that. If you're willing to change your mind, we can go behind those trees right now."_

Holy shit! I absolutely could not believe what I was hearing. How in the hell could I have been so stupid? I was totally into this guy. I think I need to have my fucking head examined. Just then, I tripped over someone's shoe. I fell straight to the ground, taking with me a few other runners. As I looked up to see what happened, I saw AJ look back and wink at me.

"That son of a bitch", I thought to myself. Not only does he degrade me in front of all these people, but now he physically hurts me as well.

I felt tears welling up in my eyes. Not from the pain of falling down, although that did hurt. I had just been humiliated and as much as I didn't want to admit it, AJ was getting to me. How could I have been so blind?

As I look down at the ground, a single tear starts to fall down my cheek. At that moment, I feel the soft sensation of my tear being wiped away. I look over and see the most striking young man I have ever seen. This guy was one of the runners I must've taken down with me when Douchey McDick Brain tripped me.

"_Hi"_ he says softly to me. The sound of his voice is so intoxicating. _"My name is Sonny Kiriakis."_

I have to be hallucinating. I must've hit my head harder than I thought. I just stare at him.

He smiles and says, _"Hello? Are you in there?"_

"_What?" _I keep staring at him which by now seems like an eternity. I could get lost in those beautiful eyes. I finally pull myself back to reality. _"I'm sorry what did you say?"_

He lets out a small chuckle and says, _"I said my name is Sonny Kiriakis. Are you alright?"_

"_Yes I'm okay. Thank you. I'm Will. Will Horton. I'm really sorry about that. I didn't intend on taking you down like that." _ Who am I kidding? I would take this guy down in a heartbeat. Or he could take me down. Either way, I'd be a happy boy.

He stands up and extends his hand to help me up. I gladly take his hand and get up. I hold on to his hand longer than I would have intended to. He doesn't seem to mind. In fact, he gently squeezes it before letting go.

"_Oh...I'm sorry. Where are my manners? Are YOU okay?"_ I say to him with genuine concern.

"_Oh yeah. Just a little scrape on the knee."_ he says. _"Nothing that can't be fixed with a Snoopy bandaid."_

Oh my god. Did he just say Snoopy bandaid? He is too adorable for words.

Just then, I look around and notice that all my friends had gone on without me. They probably hadn't noticed what happened. With the sea of people that were constantly going by, you'd have a hard time noticing much of anything.

"_Well, it looks like my friends all went on without me." _I say to Sonny.I'm telling the truth, but inside I'm secretly hoping that he'll let continue on with him.

"_Would you like to run with me?" _he says as he licks his bottom lip and looks at me.

My head is spinning. He's really asking if I'll run with him. Are we flirting? Oh god I hope so.

"_I'd love you...um I mean I'd love to."_ My face is now 3 shades of red, but Sonny doesn't seem to notice my mistake. I continue, _"Thank you so much. I run much better when I have someone to talk to."_

"_Awesome. Let's get going then." _Sonny says as he smiles at me. I smile back as we both take off running.

A mile goes by without us talking to one another. Every now and then, I would glance over at him, hoping he wouldn't catch me. I'm pretty sure he noticed because I'd see a smirk come across his face every time I'd do it.

Soon after that Sonny finally speaks up.

"_So are you going to tell me what that was all about back there?" _he says. I was totally embarrassed. He _did_ catch me looking at him.

"_Who was that guy that you were talking to earlier?"_ My embarrassment fades as I realize that he's referring to my conversation with AJ.

"_Oh..."_ I say with obvious relief in my voice. _"He was a guy that I was going to go out with."_ I'm not sure how much of the conversation he heard so I try not to say too much. I don't want to freak him out.

"Is he your boyfriend?" Sonny asks. I notice that he is slightly biting his bottom lip. Oh my god, that is totally turning me on. I suddenly feel a warm sensation envelop my crotch. I have to be careful. People will be able to notice since I've got gym shorts on. I try my best to refocus.

"No, he's DEFINITELY not my boyfriend." I say. I can see Sonny's face light up. _"He's just some asshole that apparently is too good for anybody."_

Sonny smiles and chuckles a little bit.

Is this actually happening? I start this morning slightly depressed, and not even 3 hours later, I'm flirting with this incredibly beautiful guy that I just accidentally run into on the race course...literally.

Sonny and I continue on for a little while before I start to notice a little discomfort in my right leg. Out of nowhere, a sharp pain hits me so hard that it takes my breath away.

"Ouch" I scream out. I stop running and move to the side of the road. Sonny follows. I sit down on the ground hoping it will relieve some of the pain. It does, but only slightly.

Sonny leans down next to me and asks, "What's the matter? Are you okay?" I look at him directly in his eyes. He is so cute. He just met me a little while ago, and yet he has this look of genuine concern on his face. I'm amazed that someone could care about me like this. After what AJ said earlier, I was beginning to question if anyone could care about me. There I go again letting that prick get into my head.

Even though my leg hurts like hell, I smile back at him. The look of concern that was on his face mere seconds ago is now replaced with a warm smile.

"_Hey...are you faking this shit just to get me down here?"_ he says as he jokingly shoves me.

I fall back into the grass as we both laugh out loud for what seems like several minutes. After I catch my breath, I look back and him and say, _"No, my leg really DOES hurt, but what if I WAS faking it? What are you gonna do about it?"_

Sonny kneels down and leans over me, looks me directly in the eyes and says, _"This."_

**to be continued**


	3. Chapter 3

The Race - Chapter 3

**Sonny's POV**

As I looked Will directly in those beautiful blue eyes of his, I hesitated.

I can't do this just yet, I thought to myself. What would he think of me? I would never want to take advantage of someone as precious as Will is. Oh my god. I just called him precious. Do I have feelings for this guy I just met? That's not possible. I've heard of love at first sight, but this ridiculous.

Will looked at me with a concerned look on his face. _"What's wrong, Sonny?"_ he asked.

I turn away from him. He gently cups my face and turns my head back towards him.

"_Sonny...I said what's wrong?"_

"_I'm sorry Will. Nothing's wrong. I just...I just don't want to take advantage of the situation"._

Will looks at me with possibly the cutest smile I've ever seen. Thank god I'm kneeling down because I swear my legs would come out from under me looking at that face.

With that beautiful smile, he spoke back, _"Sonny, you are most definitely not taking advantage of the situation. This feels completely right to me. I realize that we've only just met less than 2 hours ago, but something is drawing me to you. I can't explain it."_

Now it was my turn to smile. I'm pretty sure I blushed too. My face felt just a tad warm at that moment.

"_Will, that's so amazing. I was just thinking the exact same thing. I was wondering what you would think of me if I kissed you so soon after we just..."_

At that moment Will cut me off. He looked slightly annoyed which had me a bit troubled.

"_Sonny, what do I have to do to get you to shut up?" _Will said.

Right then, Will grabbed me by my waist and pulled me on top of him. As we both fall back into the grass, he laid the most gentle yet sensual kiss on my lips I have ever felt. I swear I could see fireworks going off at that moment. I felt tingles up and down my entire body. If I had one word to describe this moment, it would be "perfection".

As we lay there kissing in the grass, I could feel Will open his mouth slightly inviting me in. I didn't hesitate this time. I pressed my tongue gently into his mouth. Will quietly groaned into my mouth and grabbed my ass through my running shorts. The emotions that I was experiencing were nearly indescribable. I felt weightless, like Will and I would float up into the air at any moment.

I was running my fingers through Will's beautiful blonde hair when I gently pulled back.

"_Oh my god."_ I said. It the was only thing that would come out of my mouth.

Will looked at me with another one of those smiles that could melt the coldest and darkest of hearts.

"_Sonny, I can't explain what's going on here so I'm not going to even try. All I know is that when I kiss you, everything in this entire world seems right. My insecurities, my pain, all of it...just vanishes."_

I felt a little tear form in the corner of my eye. Will noticed and now he was the one who gently wiped it away.

"_Thank you"_ I said.

"_No...thank YOU."_ Will said giving me another little kiss on my lips.

Just then, I realized where we were and what we were supposed to be doing.

"_Shit Will...we're behind!"_ I exclaimed.

"_I'm looking at a great behind"_ Will said as he gave me a wink.

From anyone else, that line would have sounded so cheesy, but coming from Will it honestly sounded a little sweet. I push him back in the grass playfully and say, "You are such a flirt, you know that?"

Will laughs and says, _"There's plenty more where that came from."_

I extend my hand and help Will up. We both dust each other off and brush the grass out of our hair.

"_You ready?"_ I say.

"_More than you'll ever know" _he says back to me. From the look he gives me, I can tell that he means more than the race. I blush a little once again then smack him on his ass and smile.

"_Then let's go sexy." _

Will and I get back on the race course and start making our way to the finish line. This race is one of my favorites. The crowd support is phenomenal and and entertainment along the way is outstanding.

Several times, Will and I looked at each other and just smiled. Neither one of us saying a single word, but at the same time completely understanding one another.

As we crossed the half way point, I could feel the adrenaline a little more. I looked up at the race clock. Despite stopping for um...a little break, we were doing surprisingly well.

The first half of the race is in the country. The scenery is awe inspiring. Nothing but open fields and beautiful trees as far as the eye can see. And with today being such a gorgeous morning, it only made things seem more beautiful.

I look around and take it all in. The sun is just barely showing itself on top of the tree line. The cool breeze is enough to make the wheat in the fields sway back and forth, but yet gentle enough not to make us cold.

And then there's Will. He is what is making this morning so perfect. I look over at him, but this time he doesn't notice. Good thing too, because I know I'm staring. Those beautiful baby blue eyes capture my soul. Those strong defined shoulders push against his tight running shirt. And those lips...those absolutely perfect lips. The ones he melted my heart with just a little while ago.

Oh my god, I thought again to myself. I really do have feelings for this guy. I'm so scared what that means. Does he feel the same way? Of course he does. When he said that everything in the world seemed right when he kissed me, that tells me he feels the same way. But this doesn't make any sense. How can someone develop feelings for someone in a matter of hours?

As my OCD thoughts reigned supreme in my head for a few seconds, I wondered how I could be so lucky to meet Will. What if I'm meant to spend the rest of my life with him? I physically shiver at that thought. Not because it scares me per se, but because I honestly feel that it could happen. Just think...me meeting my soul mate all because of a simple running accident. I smile at that thought and continue on my way.

"_Hey Sonny?"_ Will says as he brings me back to reality.

"_Yeah Will?"_ I say.

"_Sonny, there's this house up here where the owner sits out every year and..."_

Just as Will's about to finish his sentence, we both say it together.

"_...sprays mist on the runners"_.

"_Wait...have you run this race before?"_ Will asks.

I smile at Will and laugh a bit.

"_Maybe",_ I say back with a sly smile.

"_Well, you're just full of surprises aren't you?"_ Will says with devilish grin of his own.

"_You have no idea"_. I say.

As we round the next corner, both of us see the man sitting at the end of his driveway with the hose. I know that I'm getting fairly warm at this point, so a nice cool mist would feel pretty good.

Will looks over at me and bites his lower lip. Holy shit, I nearly come undone right then and there. He grabs my hand and we both go through the mist together.

Everything seems like it's in slow motion. Kind of like the Baywatch credits, only with gay guys. I actually laugh out loud at my thought. Will doesn't know why I'm laughing. He just sees that I'm having a great time, so he erupts in laughter too. Our eyes are both locked on one another as we make our way out the other side. A water station is right there so we stop for a minute.

"_That was amazing."_ Will says as he grabs my hand a little tighter.

"_It certainly was." _I say back to him.

Will's shirt is completely soaked and I can see every perfect line of his torso. From those strong shoulders to the washboard abs, Will definitely keeps in shape.

He seemed to notice that I was looking at him because he smiles at me.

"_See anything you like?"_ he says just as he flashes me by pulling up his shirt.

We both laugh for a few seconds.

"_You are such a tease, Will."_

"_Oh no, Sonny. That's just a preview."_

Will's last statement nearly sent my blood pressure into a nose dive. I felt faint.

"_What did you say, Will?"_

"_You heard me."_ he says with that perfect smile. _"Now let's finish this race, and then maybe you can see something else."_

What the fuck?, I think to myself. I really have to be dreaming. This absolutely perfect day cannot be happening to me. Nothing like this EVER happens to me. Of all the people in the entire world, why is this happening to Sonny Kiriakis? You know what, who the hell cares? If it's happening to me, I sure as shit am not going to complain about it.

"_You're got yourself a deal." _I say.

Will is so adorable. Just as we're taking off, he leans over and kisses my cheek. A couple of the small fireworks go off in my head again.

The next few miles go by faster than I ever thought possible. I'm sure it could possibly have something to do with Will's "motivation". Nevertheless, both of us were running at a speed that I'm sure neither of us were used to.

As we crossed the river pedestrian bridge, I see my brother Alex. He notices that I'm running with Will and mouths to me, _"Who's the hottie?"_

I smile at him and mouth back, _"That's Will...I'll tell you about him later."_

As we pass him, I can hear Alex yell, _"Go Sonny...go Will!"_.

My face turns a little red.

"_Did someone just say my name?"_ Will asks.

"_Yeah...that was my brother Alex."_

"_But how does he know me?"_

"_Well...he saw me running with you and asked who you were. So I told him your name. I hope you're not angry."_

"_Angry?"_ Will said. _"Why would I be angry?_ _You told your brother about me, a guy whom you've just met. That has to be one of the cutest things ever."_

Will and I again smile at one another.

I can see the finish line just up ahead. All the work has lead up to this point. The streets are filled to capacity with people on either side cheering the runners on. "Go Sonny...go Will", several of the people say. At first I wonder who they are and how they know either of us, but then I realize that our names are printed on the front of our race bibs.

At the end of the race is when you need crowd support the most. To have absolute strangers cheering us on was quite inspiring.

"_Thank you."_ Will and I yell out at the same time.

Fifty yards left. Will and I have got this. I notice as Will pushes a little harder and runs even faster. This makes me run even faster also. All that I hear from this point forward is the sound of Will's breathing. There's something utterly intoxicating about it.

Twenty feet...ten feet...

We both cross the finish line at the exact same time. I look down and realize that Will was holding my hand. He must've held my hand across the finish line without me even knowing it.

At that moment, Will did something totally unexpected. He picks me up in his arms and lays a passionate kiss on my lips right in front of hundreds of people. You can hear the crowd cheer.

"_So..."_ Will says. _"Wanna see another preview?"_

**to be continued**


End file.
